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Super Sentai
The Super Sentai Series, (スーパー戦隊シリーズ, Sūpā Sentai Shirīzu) is the name given to the long running Japanese "superhero team" genre of shows produced by Toei and Bandai and aired by TV Asahi, that is used as the basis for ''Power Rangers''. ("Super" refers to their use of mecha, and "sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or, literally, "fighting squadron" and was also a term used for Japanese squadrons in World War II.) The shows are of the '"tokusatsu" genre, featuring live action characters and colorful special effects, and are aimed mainly at families. This series is one of the most prominent tokusatsu productions in Japan. Alongside the Ultra Series, the Kamen Rider Series, and the Metal Hero Series. The first Sentai series, Himitsu Sentai Goranger, in April 1975, was created by the late Shotaro Ishinomori, creator of Kamen Rider and Cyborg 009 in 1975. He did not create any further Sentai series after his second, J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai, was not received well. These two series were originally both just called Sentai and were not a part of the Super Sentai series until 1994 when Toei decided to include them with the series that followed. Following J.A.K.Q., Toei chose to work with Marvel Comics to produce the live action adaptation of Spider-Man (1978), which included the first giant robot in a Toei Superhero show. This concept was used in Toei and Marvel's project Battle Fever J (1979) and was deemed the first Super Sentai Series. The following production of Denshi Sentai Denziman was the first production solely by Toei and written by "Saburo Yatsude". The term sentai is also occasionally used to describe shows with similar premises, such as Voltron, or even the magical girl team in Sailor Moon, as Naoko Takeuchi deliberately used Sentai ideas. In 2003, Sailor Moon was retold in a fashion somewhat similar to Sentai shows in the form of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. While not officially Sentai, some fans of the genre have accepted it as such. The first ever Sentai to be adapted into Power Rangers was Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (1992), utilizing footage from all 50 episodes. (Saban tried to adapt the previous Sentai into a Power Rangers show, with Zyuranger to be adapted into a second season, but they unable to get the rights to the Jetman footage, so they used just Zyuranger instead.) When the series enters their anniversary, they use special logos to commemorate them. So far, only three of them is used to commemorate the series: The 25th anniversary logo is for Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger, the 30th for GoGo Sentai Boukenger, and the 35th for Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. Series overview In every Super Sentai series, the fight between good and evil is illustrated, with the good side winning most of the time. The basic premise of the series is that a group of five (in some cases fewer) people gain special powers (magical or technological), wear colored outfits, and use advanced weapons and martial arts skills to battle powerful beings from other planets and/or dimensions threatening to take over the Earth. In most of the episodes, after the team has beaten an army of evil creatures ("grunts") and the "monster of the week", they call for huge robotic vehicles/animals ("mechas") that can combine to form one giant robot to fight an enlarged version of the monster. Sentai series with the giant robot element are specifically known as Super Sentai. After each series ends or during the series, there are a number of TV and video specials feature a teaming up with previous Sentai. The only known Super Sentai to team up with its sister show Kamen Rider is Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, but no longer, now thanks to a second franchise cross-over titled'' Kamen Rider x Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen.'' Distribution Although the series originated in Japan, they were imported and dubbed in other languages for broadcast in several other countries. Europe Choudenshi Bioman, Choushinsei Flashman, Hikari Sentai Maskman, Choujuu Sentai Liveman, Kousoku Sentai Turboranger, Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman, and Choujin Sentai Jetman, were broadcast in France in the 1980s and early 1990s, with Maskman and Liveman marketed as Bioman 2 and Bioman 3, respectively. Additionally, Liveman, Turboranger, and Jetman were broadcast in Spain and Portugal. Denshi Sentai Denziman and Dai Sentai Goggle V were both broadcast in Italy. In addition, some episodes of Bioman were released on VHS in Greece. Brazil In Brazil, the first Super Sentai series to air was Dengeki Sentai Changeman in 1988, on the now-defunct TV Manchete (in 1999, it was renamed as Rede TV!), and made a tremendous impact at the time, being considered a cult classic. Due to the success of Changeman, other series were imported, such as Choushinsei Flashman, Hikari Sentai Maskman and Dai Sentai Goggle V. In place of later series in the franchise, the yearly iterations of the Power Rangers were dubbed into Brazilian Portuguese due to a general lower interest in tokusatsu programming in Brazil, as well as financial and bureaucratic issues. Southeast Asia J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai and Himitsu Sentai Goranger (retitled Star Rangers) were the first Sentai series to be shown in the Philippines. Just as in France and Brazil, it was Choudenshi Bioman (dubbed in English) and Hikari Sentai Maskman (the first Super Sentai series dubbed in Filipino by the IBC-13 network) that most fans are familiar with. They were broadcast in the Philippines in the 1980s, along with Kousoku Sentai Turboranger, Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman, Choujin Sentai Jetman and Dai Sentai Goggle V in the early 1990s. Various Sentai series such as Fiveman and Choushinsei Flashman were also broadcast in Malaysia sometime in the 1990s dubbed into English. Almost all Super Sentai shows were broadcast in Thailand since the 1980s; there, most new shows were exclusively broadcast on Channel 9 a year late from its Japanese debut in the late 1980s to early 1990s until Power Rangers replaced Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger in the mid 1990s. Since then, the series have appeared on various other channels. United States :see Power Rangers After Honolulu, Hawaii's KIKU-TV had success with Android Kikaider (called Kikaida) and Kamen Rider V3 in the 1970s, multiple Super Sentai shows, including Himitsu Sentai Goranger and Battle Fever J, were brought to the Hawaiian market (all broadcast in Japanese with English subtitles by JN Productions). Goranger was also broadcast on Japanese-language stations in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles, California in 1976–77. J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai was also broadcast in Los Angeles following Sentai Goranger. In 1985, Marvel Comics produced a pilot for an American adaptation of a Super Sentai series, but the show was rejected by the major US TV networks. In 1986, Saban Productions produced a pilot for an American adaptation of Choudenshi Bioman. In 1987, Kagaku Sentai Dynaman was dubbed and aired as a parody on the USA Network television show Night Flight. In 1993, Haim Saban produced the first installment of the Power Rangers franchise by dubbing the action sequences from 1992's Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger and filming new footage with American actors for the story sequences. This trend has continued, with each successive Sentai show contributing the action sequences to the Power Rangers series the following year. In 2009, the Disney-owned production company was shut down in favor of re-broadcasting the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers newly reversioned. On May 12, 2010, it was announced that Saban bought back the rights to the Power Rangers franchise and planned to premiere a new season based on Samurai Sentai Shinkenger on the Nickelodeon network. The series premiered on February 2011 as Power Rangers Samurai. South Korea Super Sentai has also been broadcast in South Korea, dubbed from Japanese to Korean, starting as early as Choushinsei Flashman, titled Earth Protector Flashman. Recently, Tooniverse (formerly Orion Cartoon Network), JEI-TV (Jaeneung Television), CHAMP TV/ANIONE TV (DAEWON BROADCASTING), and Cartoon Network Korea have broadcast Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger, Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, Mahou Sentai Magiranger, GoGo Sentai Boukenger, Juken Sentai Gekiranger Engine Sentai Go-onger, and Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger under the titles of Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Magic Force, Power Rangers Treasure Force, Power Rangers Wild Spirits, Power Rangers Engine Force, and Power Rangers Jungle Force respectively. Due to the high Japanese content of Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, this season was skipped in place of Gaoranger, but will be followed up in 2012 with Power Rangers Miracle Force, a dubbing of Tensou Sentai Goseiger. Super Sentai Series Each Super Sentai series has its own unique values and motifs: *''Himitsu Sentai Goranger, aired from 1975–1977, was the first Sentai Series. Developed by Shotaro Ishinomori, the Gorangers are a super-technology spy team that fight against a secret terrorist monster force: the Black Cross Army. At 86 episodes, Goranger is the longest-running Super Sentai title. *Ninja Captor'' aired in 1976. It is technically an unnoficial Sentai Series, however, in a Bioman guidebook, it classified Ninja Captor as the second Sentai Series. This series had a ninja motif, and is the first with this motif. It is also the first to include an Orange Ranger, and the only one with a Brown Ranger. *''J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai'' aired in 1977. It featured a team of cyborgs based on a playing card motif — Jack, Ace, King and Queen — later joined by another member who takes over the leadership roles. Due to low ratings, the series was canceled after 35 episodes - making it the shortest-running Super Sentai title. J.A.K.Q. also had a feature film that served as a crossover with Goranger. This use of a crossover would not happen again until 1995, when it began an annual tradition for a V-Cinema release. *''Battle Fever J'' aired in 1979 and featured an international group of characters. This series was the first to be produced by Marvel Comics after Toei and Marvel worked together on Spider-Man and featured characters resembling Captain America and Miss America. The series' motif was unusual, wherein each member represented a certain country and did a specific dance. Battle Fever J also featured the first giant robot, an idea carried over from the Spider-Man production. From then on, the series' official name came to be Super Sentai. In addition, this was the first series to feature a team cannon formed from the members' individual weapons. *''Denshi Sentai Denziman'' aired in 1980 and was the first series completely produced by Toei. It is the first series to have a transforming giant robot and utilize an actual lens visor in the suits' helmet (unlike previous series where the visor was made of the same fiber of the helmet). The series was also the first to introduce a personal transformation device - in this case, each member wore a special ring. *''Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan'' aired in 1981 and served as a direct sequel to Denziman, with Machiko Soga's Queen Hedrian character returning. The series used an air, land, and sea motif and featured the first combining robot to be used, a trend that continues throughout the Super Sentai Series. It was also the first to use a transformation bracelet - a device that would be standard in majority of the Super Sentai franchise. Sun Vulcan was the only series to have a three-member team throughout the show (with the fourth member being actually a substitute to another team member), and the only one to have an all-male team. *''Dai Sentai Goggle-V'' aired in 1982 and featured motifs based on gemstones, ancient civilizations, and rhythmic gymnastics. It was also the first series to start the tradition of the main cast members shouting the team name on the opening title. It is notable for having the highest television ratings of all Super Sentai series in Japan. *''Kagaku Sentai Dynaman'' aired in 1983 and was the first series to use "spandex" costumes for the heroes and was the first series to remove the scarves from the costume (a tradition carried over from Ishinomori's Kamen Rider Series). Several episodes of Dynaman were comically dubbed into English and aired during the USA Network's 1987 Night Flight programming block. *''Choudenshi Bioman'' aired in 1984 and was the first series to feature two heroines on the team and the first to feature a helping robot to aid the heroes. The show was also the last to have a change in team members mid-season. *''Dengeki Sentai Changeman'' aired in 1985 and featured a motif based on legendary creatures in European traditions. At 55 episodes, it is the longest-running of all the Super Sentai titles, after Goranger. *''Choushinsei Flashman'' aired in 1986 and the team members' powers come from their upbringings on planets with different environmental conditions. This was the first series to add a second giant robot for the team to fight with. It was notated as the "10th Super Sentai". (with Goranger and J.A.K.Q. counted at the time) *''Hikari Sentai Maskman'' aired in 1987 and featured a motif based on martial arts and Ch'i aura powers. It introduced the first five-piece combining robot, with an individual mecha piloted by each member of the team. The series also featured the first sixth warrior, appearing for only one episode. *''Choujuu Sentai Liveman'' aired in 1988 and featured an animal-based motif, and was the first Super Sentai series to have a female blue warrior. The series also featured the first addition of two new team members to a three-person team as well as the first combination of two individual robots into a single powerful robot. *''Kousoku Sentai Turboranger'' aired in 1989 and featured an automobile motif. As the tenth anniversary of the Super Sentai Series (Goranger and J.A.K.Q. were not included this time), Turboranger featured an anniversary crossover with the previous teams. *''Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman'' aired in 1990 and featured both an antagonistic team of villainous counterparts and a team power upgrade armor. The motif of the series is a mix of martial arts and education, as each member poses as a school teacher. The series is also the first to have the entire team consist of family siblings. *''Choujin Sentai Jetman'' aired in 1991 and featured a bird motif, an homage to the anime and manga Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. The series was the first to feature a marriage of two members of the team. Jetman also featured the first tertiary robot that could operate on its own and a manga epilogue that introduced a new member. *''Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger'' aired in 1992 and used prehistoric creatures (dinosaurs and extinct Pleistocene megafauna) as a motif. The series introduced both the first regular sixth team member and the first seven mecha combination. Zyuranger was later adapted into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for American audiences, beginning the Power Rangers franchise. *''Gosei Sentai Dairanger'' aired in 1993 using kung fu and traditional Chinese mythological creatures as a motif. The mecha action scenes, plus footage of their sixth member, KibaRanger, were adapted into the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. *''Ninja Sentai Kakuranger'' aired in 1994 and had a ninja motif and one loosely based on the classic Journey to the West. The series featured the first five-piece secondary robot. As another anniversary series, the crossover Super Sentai World was produced featuring characters from Fiveman, Jetman, Zyuranger, Dairanger and Kakuranger. Many elements of the series, such as the mecha designs and action scenes, were adapted in the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as its theatrical sequel and the spinoff Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. *''Chouriki Sentai Ohranger'' aired in 1995 using a geometric shape motif. This series was considered an anniversary season for the 20th anniversary of Goranger (with both that series and J.A.K.Q. permanently counted from here on) Ohranger began the annual VS Series V-Cinema releases with Chouriki Sentai Ohranger: Ole vs. Kakuranger. The series was adapted into Power Rangers Zeo, following up form the original series. *''Gekisou Sentai Carranger'' aired in 1996, and used automobiles as a motif, serving as a parody of Turboranger and the Super Sentai Series as a whole. The series also was the first to utilize more work-based vehicles (such as police cars, fire trucks and construction equipment) as mechs and to have a mech with interchangeable parts. Carranger was adapted into Power Rangers Turbo. *''Denji Sentai Megaranger'' aired in 1997 using electronics, video gaming and space travel as a motif, with several elements of the series paying homage to Bioman. Megaranger featured the first silver-colored hero and the evil Jaden Sentai Nejiranger team who serve as villains for an entire story arc. Mega Silver's Keitaizer marked the debut of the cell phone-based transformation device, which would be standard in many later Super Sentai titles. Megaranger would later be adapted into Power Rangers in Space, which closed the overarching plot of the previous seasons. *''Seijuu Sentai Gingaman'' aired in 1998 featured a classical elements motif as well as two additional combining robots in addition to the primary robot used by the Gingamen. It was adapted into Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy, the first stand-alone series in the American franchise. *''Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo-V'' aired in 1999 using an emergency service motif. GoGoFive is the first series since Jetman to only feature five heroes. Additional heroes appear in one of its V-Cinema productions. Much like Fiveman, the series' protagonists were all siblings. This series was adapted in 2000 as Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue, which was the first series to have an exclusive Ranger, the Titanium Ranger. *''Mirai Sentai Timeranger'' aired in 2000 and featured a time travel motif (four of the five main heroes are police officers from the year 3000). The series features the first additional hero whose costume is the same color as one of the original heroes. Timeranger would be adapted into the first Power Rangers series of the 21st century, Time Force. *''Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger'' aired in 2001 using an animal motif, and was the first series to utilize multiple possible mecha combinations from a planned total of one-hundred mecha (only 22 were utilized in the series run). It also began the tradition of a film adaptation as a double bill with that year's Kamen Rider Series film (the first individual film since Ohranger, not counting GoGo-V). Gaoranger also served as the 25th Anniversary series, featuring the Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai crossover V-Cinema release. Gaoranger was adapted the following year into Power Rangers: Wild Force, which marked the franchise's 10th anniversary, and was the last series run by Saban Entertainment before Disney's buying of the franchise's rights. *''Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger'' aired in 2002 and used a ninjutsu motif with elemental powers, taking elements from Kakuranger as well as Liveman. Hurricaneger features the rival Gouraiger team with insect-themed powers, the free agent Shurikenger, and a series of smaller mecha that serve as weapons for the teams' robots. The series was adapted as Power Rangers: Ninja Storm, the first Power Rangers series made with the brand entirely pertaining to Disney. *''Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger'' aired in 2003 and used a dinosaur motif (as with Zyuranger). It is the first series to present an alternate transformation for one of its members (AbaRed into AbareMax), a sole evil warrior (AbareKiller), and sentient mecha that speak Japanese (Zyuranger, Gingaman and Gaoranger also featured sentient mecha, but they could not speak Japanese). The series was adapted in 2004 into Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, which brought Tommy Oliver back as a regular character and Ranger. *''Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger'' aired in 2004 and uses a police/detective motif taking elements from Denziman, Bioman and Carranger with its heroes fighting extraterrestrial criminals. The series features the first semi-regular seventh hero (Deka Master) and three additional heroines who appear once each throughout the series: DekaSwan (episode 36), DekaBright (ep. 40), and DekaGold (Dekaranger The Movie: Full Blast Action). This series started the tradition of a "passing the torch" segment after the ending credits of the series finale: the red warrior of the series that has just ended interacts with the red warrior of the upcoming series. Dekaranger's American adaptation was 2005's Power Rangers SPD. *''Mahou Sentai Magiranger'' aired in 2005 uses a magic motif with mecha that are the heroes transformed. As with Fiveman and GoGoFive, Magiranger features an entire family of heroes: the core team are all brothers and sisters (as in Fiveman and GoGo-V), the sixth hero marries one of the core team members, and the rarely-used seventh and eighth heroes are the parents to the core team. The series was adapted into Power Rangers Mystic Force in 2006. *''GoGo Sentai Boukenger'' aired in 2006 using an adventure and treasure hunting motif. It is the first series to be filmed in high-definition. As the 30th Anniversary series, it included the 30 Sentai Encyclopedia featurettes at the end of each episode and the GoGo Sentai Boukenger vs. Super Sentai V-Cinema release. The Boukenger vs. Super Sentai film also introduced AkaRed, the spirit of the Super Sentai red warriors. Unlike previous series, Boukenger featured multiple groups of loosely allied antagonists instead of the usual one overarching antagonist group. The series was adapted into Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive which, like Wild Force, also coincided with its parent Sentai as a milestone anniversary; in Operation Overdrive's case, it was Power Rangers' 15th anniversary. * , Kengo Ohkuchi (the trapped subway worker Kazushi Mizuno in Kamen Rider 555) as SpaGreen, Masashi Mikami (BoukenBlue in GoGo Sentai Boukenger) as SpaYellow, and Kohei Murakami (Kamen Rider Kaixa in Kamen Rider 555) as SpaMurasakiki, "purple" or "violet" in Japanese, a running joke would involve people referring to him as SpaPurple. Since 2005's Sentai run, the Japanese musical group Kanjani Eight have created a series of performances at their concerts where they dress in different colored outfits and call themselves Kanjani Sentai Eight Ranger. Trivia *Since its debut in 1975, a new Sentai series has been aired every year except in 1976 and 1978. However, a sentai series that was removed from classification (Ninja Captor) aired in 1976 and the series that Super Sentai adopted the use of a mecha from (Spider-Man) aired in 1978. *Disregarding Power Rangers, the only years that more than one Sentai series (or similar series) aired are 1999 (Kyukyu Sentai GoGo-V and Voicelugger), 2000 (Mirai Sentai Timeranger and France Five), 2003 (Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon), 2006 (GoGo Sentai Boukenger and Sport Ranger) and 2012 (Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters and Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger). Gallery Anniversaryvari.jpg|The different anniversary seals. Note: the 10th anniversary seal (top right) was used with Liveman in 1988, and the 15th anniversary seal (top left) was used with Dairanger in 1993, both before Goranger and JAKQ were reincorporated into the Sentai chronology (in whose cases Flashman would be the 10th anniversary, and Jetman the 15th). The other seals were used with Carranger (20th anniversary, 1996), Gaoranger (25th anniversary, 2001), Boukenger (30th anniversary, 2006) and Gokaiger (35th anniversary, 2011). Also see *Sentai Series *Sentai Rangers *Sentai Allies *Other Sentai Heroes *Other Sentai Characters *Sentai Weapons *Sentai Vehicles *Sentai Villains *Sentai Monsters *Planets in Super Sentai *Sentai Teamups *Sentai Episodes *Sentai Mecha 1, 2 and 3 Also See *Power Rangers, it's American adaption External links *Official Super Sentai Website (Japanese) Category:Sentai Category:Shows